Jeremy Ogilvie-Harris

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Jeremy is a public law and human rights barrister at Cornerstone Barristers with experience in a broad range of sectors including social housing, homelessness, welfare benefits, planning, environment and climate, energy, protest and information and data protection. He has a busy judicial review practice, mostly representing claimants. Jeremy is ranked by Legal 500 as a Leading Junior for Social Housing and a Rising Star for Administrative Law and Human Rights.

He is ranked by Legal500 as a Leading Junior for Social Housing and as a Rising Star for Administrative Law and Human Rights.

Prior to joining the bar, Jeremy worked s Public Law and Welfare Benefits Supervisor at Hackney Community Law Centre, Planning Voice Caseworker at Southwark Law Centre, and teaching associate at Queen Mary University of London.

Jeremy has a busy judicial review practice. He frequently acts for claimants in cross-sectoral public interest litigation, including a challenge to the closure of Croydon’s walk in homelessness service, a claim challenging the imposition of heat network charges on secure tenants, and a housing benefit case involving the use of an algorithm.

Jeremy completed pupillage with Cornerstone Barristers from October 2023 to September 2024. He was supervised by Andrew Lane, Ruchi Parekh, Riccardo Calzavara, and Jack Parker.

Expertise

Judicial Review & Public Law
Jeremy has extensive experience in public law and judicial review. He is ranked by Legal 500 as a Rising Star for Administrative Law and Human Rights. His practice encompasses a wide range of sectors including social housing, welfare benefits, planning, environment, climate, energy, and data protection.

Jeremy was Public Law and Welfare Benefits Supervisor at the Hackney Community Law Centre (‘HCLC’) prior to pupillage, achieved a distinction in his public law LLM at University College London, and taught public law at Queen Mary Universal of London.

Jeremy has experience in bringing and defending judicial review claims in the High Court, acting in County Court cases which raise public law issues, and representing both appellants and respondents in statutory appeals processes in the Court of Appeal, Upper Tribunal (Administrative Appeals Chamber), First-tier Tribunal (Social Entitlement Chamber) and (Property Chamber), and County Court.

Jeremy’s cases include:

Court of Appeal
- Housing 35 Plus Limited v Nottingham City Council [2026] EWCA Civ 204: whether the rules of a co-operative housing association were such as to secure that all its management decisions are made by the members in general meeting for the purposes of licensing of houses in multiple occupation under the Housing Act 2004, in which the Court of Appeal considered the purpose of the legislative exemption at paras 35 to 36 (led by Andy Lane).
- City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council v Hasan Kazi [2024] EWCA Civ 1037: whether the Upper Tribunal (Lands Chamber) had erred in law by deciding that the Council’s policy on civil financial penalties for Housing Act 2004 offences fettered the First-tier Tribunal’s discretion (led by Riccardo Calzavara).
High Court
- C v Croydon London Borough Council (2025) AC-2025-LON-001809: acting for an illiterate homeless application bringing a challenge to the closure of the walk-in homelessness service at Access Croydon by Croydon LBC (led by Tom Hickaman KC). This case has been covered by Inside Croydon and the Standard.
- AH and KO v Lambeth Council (2025) AC-2025-LON-001788 and AC-2025-LON-001787: acting for secure tenants on whom excessive service charges were imposed in relation to the provision of heating and hot water by a heat network operated by Lambeth (led by Tom Hickman KC). This case has received press coverage by the BBC. The broader issues which this litigation concerns have been reported by Inside Housing, the Guardian, and the BBC.
- R (Thye Loi Ho) v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2025] EWHC 2641 (Admin): successfully arguing for the Claimant that the SSHD had misapplied her policy on Schedule 10 immigration bail accommodation when determining whether accommodation offered to the Claimant was suitable. This case was covered by Free Movement and more can be read about the case in this press release.
- JS v Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police (2025): representing the claimant in a judicial review challenging the imposition of conditions under section 14 of the Public Order Act 1984. This case has received press coverage by the Guardian.
- H v Rochdale Borough Council and Rochdale Boroughwide Housing (2025) AC-2025-MAN-000264: acting for the claimant in a challenge against a planning permission allowing the demolition of social housing in the absence of an environmental impact assessment being carried out. This case has received press coverage by Planning Resource.
- Sims v Hackney Council [2025] EWHC 2271: a judicial review brought by a secure tenant with mobility issues who could not access his flat due to the life being out of operation.
- M v Wandsworth LBC (2024): successfully argued that the council had made an official error when terminating a claimant’s housing benefit. As this case was suspected to involve the use of the Housing Benefit Award Accuracy Initiative algorithm, it has received press coverage by the Independent.
- A v the Energy Ombudsman Limited (2025) AC-2025-LDS-000158: resisting a judicial review claim on the basis that the Defendant is not amenable to judicial review, the claim was out of time, there is an alternative remedy and the grounds of review are not arguable.
- E v Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (2025) AC-2024-LON-003546: judicial review concerning the existence and extent of the Secretary of State’s common law powers to make payments of social security.
Upper Tribunal
- DG v Bromley LBC [2024] UKUT 49 (AAC): whether the failure of a housing benefit officer to record information communicated orally to them was an official error of the purposes of housing benefit overpayments (as advocate).
- HM v Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (BB) [2023] UKUT 15 (AAC): whether the exclusion of cohabiting partners without children from claiming bereavement benefit was in beach of articles 8 and 14 and article 1 of protocol 1 ECHR (as caseworker).
- Waltham Forest LBC v PO (HB) [2022] UKUT 58 (AAC): whether the FtT applied the correct legal test for the qualified carer exemption to “bedroom tax” for housing benefit (as caseworker).
Human Rights and Civil Liberties
Jeremy has a strong commitment to and experience of human rights and civil liberties law. He is ranked by Legal 500 as a Rising Star for Administrative Law and Human Rights. His practice covers a broad range of sectors including housing, welfare benefits, climate, environment, protest and data protection. He frequently instructed by claimants in public interest judicial review claims.

Prior to becoming a barrister, Jeremy was the Public Law and Welfare Benefits Supervisor at the Hackney Community Law Centre (‘HCLC’) and volunteered for the Liberty Advice Line. He previously taught Public Law, which included human rights, at Queen Mary University.

Jeremy has experience of applying the ECHR, EU Charter of Fundamental Rights and international law, as counsel, advocate and caseworker, including:

Court of Appeal
- Webb-Harnden v London Borough of Waltham Forest [2023] EWCA Civ 992 concerning the applicability of the public sector equality duty under section 149 of the Equality Act 2010 to a suitability review of an offer of out of borough homeless accommodation to a single mother (assisting the solicitor with conduct as caseworker). This case raised issues of indirect discrimination against women.
- R (Akinsanya) v SSHD [2021] EWHC 1535 (Admin) and [2022] EWCA Civ 37 [2022] 2 W.L.R. 681 concerning the lawfulness of the EU Settlement Scheme for Zambrano carers (assisting the solicitor with conduct as caseworker).
High Court
- C v Croydon London Borough Council (2025) AC-2025-LON-001809: acting for an illiterate homeless application bringing a challenge to the closure of the walk-in homelessness service at Access Croydon by Croydon LBC (led by Tom Hickaman KC). This case has been covered by Inside Croydon and the Standard.
- AH and KO v Lambeth Council (2025) AC-2025-LON-001788 and AC-2025-LON-001787: acting for secure tenants on whom excessive service charges were imposed in relation to the provision of heating and hot water by a heat network operated by Lambeth (led by Tom Hickman KC). This case has received press coverage by the BBC. The broader issues which this litigation concerns have been reported by Inside Housing, the Guardian, and the BBC.
- R (Thye Loi Ho) v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2025] EWHC 2641 (Admin): successfully arguing for the Claimant that the SSHD had misapplied her policy on Schedule 10 immigration bail accommodation when determining whether accommodation offered to the Claimant was suitable. This case was covered by Free Movement and more can be read about the case in this press release.
- JS v Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police (2025): representing a claimant in a judicial review challenging the imposition of conditions under section 14 of the Public Order Act 1984. This case has received press coverage by the Guardian.
- Sims v Hackney Council [2025] EWHC 2271: a judicial review brought by a secure tenant with mobility issues who could not access his flat due to the life being out of operation.
- ANS v Redbridge LBC (2024) AC-2024-LON-004058: successfully obtaining interim relief in a section 17 Children Act 1989 judicial review relying on articles 3 and 8 of the European Convention of Human Rights. The claim settled with a favourable result for the claimant.
Upper Tribunal
- LV v SSWP (2025) unreported: whether the Universal Credit transitional protections were compliant with article 14 within the ambit of article 1 protocol 1 ECHR (as counsel). The proceedings were settled by consent.
- HM v SSWP (BB) [2023] UKUT 15 (AAC): whether the exclusion of cohabiting partners without children from claiming bereavement benefit was in beach of articles 8 and 14 and article 1 of protocol 1 ECHR (as caseworker).
Advisory work
- Advising members of a union in relation to a local authority’s pension fund investments and human rights considerations, including international law.
- Advising an activist in relation to a local authority’s review of their pension fund investments for compliance with customary international law, international humanitarian law and international criminal law.
- FS v Director for Legal Aid Casework (2024): advising on whether exceptional case funding under section 10 of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2010 should be granted in a complex First-tier Tribunal welfare benefits appeal.
- YM v Director for Legal Aid Casework (2024): advising on whether exceptional case funding should be granted where the costs of work exceeded the amount of benefit that would be awarded if successful.
- CG v Director for Legal Aid Casework (2024): advising on whether exceptional case funding could be obtained for an appeal in the Information Tribunal.
Extra-curricular and academic achievements

Jeremy has experience of the application of section 10 of the Legal Aid, Punishment and Sentencing of Offenders Act 2012, under which legal aid must be granted if refusal to do so would lead to a breach, or risk a breach, of an applicant’s Convention rights. He has written on this subject for the Legal Action Group magazine. He has assisted law centres, legal advice clinics and other legal aid firms with obtaining legal aid in benefits cases.

Jeremy has a strong commitment to the rule of law and the constitutionality of legislative provisions. He contributed to the amendment of section 10 of the Nationality and Border Act 2020 in relation to the Home Secretary’s proposal to be able to deprive individuals of British citizenship without providing notice of the decision. He wrote an article for the UK Constitutional Law Association about the constitutionality of the proposed power. This was relied upon by Lord Anderson of Ipswich KC, the former Independent Reviewer of Terrorism Legislation, in negotiations with the Government to redraft the relevant provision, as indicated in a speech at Middle Temple.

While volunteering at Liberty, Jeremy advised on a wide range of human rights issues including Schedule 7 of the Terrorism Act 2000, complaints to the Independent Office of Police Conduct and actions against the police, and surveillance by the security services.

Jeremy has also provided training sessions for student protestors on the interaction between their rights under articles 10 and 11 ECHR, possession proceedings and injunctions.
Housing
Jeremy has extensive experience in housing, homelessness and allocations having worked as a Housing and Benefits Case Worker at the Hackney Community Law Centre (‘HCLC’) for four years and continuing to practice housing at Cornerstone Barristers. He is ranked by Legal 500 as a Leading Junior, in Band 4, for Social Housing.

Jeremy is a specialist in advising and representing clients in cases where there is an intersection between housing and welfare benefits. This includes advising and representing local authorities and housing associations in cases concerning Exempt Accommodation. Jeremy has experience of both mainstream (e.g. Housing Act 1996) and non-mainstream (e.g. Care Act 2014, Children Act 1989, Schedule 10 to the Immigration Act 2016, Immigration and Asylum Act 1999) accommodation law.

Jeremy has experience in a broad range of issues that arise on housing cases, including:
- Supported/Exempt Accommodation.
- Statutory and discretionary succession.
- Fraud and subletting.
- Housing allocations and nominations agreements.
- Homelessness.
- Data protection.
- Human Rights Act 1998.
- Equality Act 2010.
Alongside litigation experience, Jeremy also has experience of advising on matters of policy and procedure for public sector landlords.

Jeremy has acted in the following cases:

Court of Appeal
- Housing 35 Plus Limited v Nottingham City Council [2026] EWCA Civ 204: whether the rules of a co-operative housing association were such as to secure that all its management decisions are made by the members in general meeting for the purposes of licensing of houses in multiple occupation under the Housing Act 2004 (as junior to Andy Lane).
- City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council v Hasan Kazi [2024] EWCA Civ 1037: whether the Upper Tribunal (Lands Chamber) had erred in law by deciding that the Council’s policy on civil financial penalties for Housing Act 2004 offences fettered the First-tier Tribunal’s discretion (as junior to Riccardo Calzavara).
- Webb-Harnden v London Borough of Waltham Forest [2023] EWCA Civ 992 concerning the applicability of the public sector equality duty under section 149 of the Equality Act 2010 to a suitability review of an offer of out of borough homeless accommodation to a single mother (assisting solicitor with conduct as caseworker).
High Court
- C v Croydon London Borough Council (2025) AC-2025-LON-001809: acting for an illiterate homeless application bringing a challenge to the closure of the walk-in homelessness service at Access Croydon by Croydon LBC (led by Tom Hickaman KC). This case has been covered by Inside Croydon and the Standard.
- AH and KO v Lambeth Council (2025) AC-2025-LON-001788 and AC-2025-LON-001787: acting for secure tenants on whom excessive service charges were imposed in relation to the provision of heating and hot water by a heat network operated by Lambeth (led by Tom Hickman KC). This case has received press coverage by the BBC. The broader issues which this litigation concerns have been reported by Inside Housing, the Guardian, and the BBC.
- R (Thye Loi Ho) v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2025] EWHC 2641 (Admin): successfully arguing for the Claimant that the SSHD had misapplied her policy on Schedule 10 immigration bail accommodation when determining whether accommodation offered to the Claimant was suitable. This case was covered by Free Movement and more can be read about the case in this press release.
- Sims v Hackney Council [2025] EWHC 2271: a judicial review brought by a secure tenant with mobility issues who could not access his flat due to the life being out of operation.
Welfare Benefits
Jeremy has undertaken welfare law cases since 2017. Prior to joining the bar, he worked as Public Law and Welfare Benefits Supervisor at the Hackney Community Law Centre. He has also volunteered at Big Brother Watch.

His experience includes the following types of issues:
- Artificial intelligence and algorithms.
- Supported/Exempt Accommodation.
- Disability benefits.
- Subsistence benefits.
- Non-mainstream benefits.
- Data protection.
- Human Rights Act 1998.
- Equality Act 2010.
- Legal aid and exceptional case funding.
His cases include:

High Court
- E v Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (2025) AC-2024-LON-003546: judicial review concerning the existence and extent of the Secretary of State’s common law powers to make payments of social security.
- M v Wandsworth LBC (2024): successfully arguing that the council had made an official error when terminating a claimant’s housing benefit (as counsel). As this case was suspected to involve the use of the Housing Benefit Award Accuracy Initiative algorithm, it has received press coverage by the Independent.
- R (Day) v SSWP [2021] EWHC 608 (Admin) [2021] P.T.S.R. 1342 concerning the lawfulness of the SSWP’s policy on fine deductions from Universal Credit (assisting solicitor with conduct as caseworker). The fine deductions were applied via an automated system.
Upper Tribunal
- DG v Bromley LBC [2024] UKUT 49 (AAC): whether the failure of a housing benefit officer to record information communicated orally to them was an official error of the purposes of housing benefit overpayments (as advocate).
- HM v Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (BB) [2023] UKUT 15 (AAC): whether the exclusion of cohabiting partners without children from claiming bereavement benefit was in beach of articles 8 and 14 and article 1 of protocol 1 ECHR (as caseworker).
- Waltham Forest LBC v PO (HB) [2022] UKUT 58 (AAC): whether the FtT applied the correct legal test for the qualified carer exemption to “bedroom tax” for housing benefit (as caseworker).
Planning, Environment and Climate
- Overview
- News
Jeremy has a practice spanning planning, environmental and climate law, with a particular interest in claimant environmental and climate work. Jeremy’s work includes:
- AH and KO v Lambeth Council (2025) AC-2025-LON-001788 and AC-2025-LON-001787: acting for secure tenants on whom excessive service charges were imposed in relation to the provision of heating and hot water by a heat network operated by Lambeth (led by Tom Hickman KC). This case has received press coverage by the BBC. The broader issues which this litigation concerns have been reported by Inside Housing, the Guardian, and the BBC.
- H v Rochdale Borough Council and Rochdale Boroughwide Housing (2025) AC-2025-MAN-000264: acting for the claimant in a challenge against a planning permission allowing the demolition of social housing in the absence of an environmental impact assessment being carried out. This case has received press coverage by Planning Resource.
- K v Mayor of London (2025) AC-2025-LON-000275: representing a tenant of Newham Council in a judicial review challenge argued that the Mayor of London’s had failed to ensure that a regeneration project provides sufficient levels of social housing.
- Representing a squatter in a planning enforcement appeal in which the inspector accepted that a squatter had an “interest in land” for the purposes of section 174(1) of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990. The decision can be found here.
Information Law and Data Protection
- Overview
- News
Jeremy is developing a practice in information and data protection law. Jeremy has particular experience of representing and advising benefits claimants and homelessness/housing register applicants who have been impacted by the digitisation of the social welfare sector.

Prior to becoming a barrister, Jeremy volunteered at Big Brother Watch as a researcher investigating the use of algorithms and artificial intelligence in the social welfare sector and assisted with making freedom of information requests to police forces regarding their use of facial recognition technology.

Jeremy is a contributor to the PDP Journal, writing the freedom of information case law update.

Jeremy has acted in the following cases which raise data protection and information issues:

High Court
- M v Wandsworth LBC (2024) EWHC (Admin) unreported: successfully arguing that the council had made an official error when terminating a claimant’s housing benefit (as counsel). As this case was suspected to involve the use of the Housing Benefit Award Accuracy Initiative algorithm, it has received press coverage by the Independent.
- R(RQ) v Croydon LBC (2022) EWHC (Admin) unreported: whether Croydon LBC’s allocations scheme and application form was lawful (as caseworker). It was successfully argued that the application form discouraged lawfully entitled applicants from applying to the allocations scheme under part 6 of the Housing Act 1996.
- R (Day) v SSWP [2021] EWHC 608 (Admin) [2021] P.T.S.R. 1342 concerning the lawfulness of the SSWP’s policy on fine deductions from Universal Credit (assisting solicitor with conduct as caseworker). The fine deductions were applied via an automated system.
Advisory work
- Advising on the lawfulness under UKGDPR of using predictive data analytics to prevent homelessness.